Katie Durance and the Wizarding World
by Phalset
Summary: Harry was a neglected child who hadn't known love since his parents died.  Then something unexpected happened and he never was the same.  Except for the eyes.
1. Hermione Granger and the Solemn Vow

DISCLAIMER: All characters within this story are not mine. I am using them without permission.

A/N: Well, here it goes, the first chapter in my Harry Potter fanfic. I could explain the details to you, but I figure that anything I could explain here should be obvious enough while reading. Enjoy, and let me know what you think.

**Hermione Granger and The Solemn Vow**

Hermione Granger is a rather bright girl if she dares say so herself. She was quite excited to be attending her new school, where she will be surrounded by others just like her. She can finally get away from those rude children that resent her brilliance. With the exciting things that she will be learning in her new school, there was no doubt in her mind that even the dullest of her new classmates will be enraptured by their studies.

Hermione did worry though. Most of the students she will be joining have known about these subjects for their entire lives. They've had plenty of time to study so much material that she would never be able to catch up. Hermione isn't one to give up though, she will learn everything there is to learn and become the most knowledgable witch in the world!

As she made her way down the train, she peeked into each compartment, but most of the faces she sees were either unfriendly or just suggested that she finds some other first years. She finally came upon a compartment with just one person in it. A girl about her age was reading a book titled, "A Muggleborn's guide to Hogwarts". A book that despite her extensive search of Flourish and Blots she was unaware of. She was aware of similar sounding titles, and had read several thoroughly, but none detailed Hogwarts from a muggleborn's perspective. Her only source on the subject was her trusty "Hogwarts, a History."

After entering the compartment she took a good look at the girl. Her most notable feature at first glance was the long red hair pulled back in a ponytail with short bangs covering her forehead. The girl glanced up at her with intense green eyes. Hermione was prepared for the girl to tell her to get lost, but instead the girls eyes just went back to the book. She ignored Hermione completely. Hermione has had to put up with a lot in dealing with kids her age, but simply being ignored is not something she's used to.

Unsure whether to be insulted at being ignored, or thankful that she wasn't outright hostile, she did the only thing she could in this situation, she _talked_.

"Hello there, I'm Hermione. I'd guess based on that book that you're reading, that you're a muggleborn too? We'll have to put in a lot of work to catch up with everyone else, don't you think? I didn't see that book when I was shopping in Diagon Alley, do you think they were out of stock when I went or did you get that someplace else?"

She was prepared to continue a seemingly endless string of questions before she noticed that the girl was looking at her again with an unreadable expression. Unreadable to Hermione anyways, she was never one for understanding other people. That's why she read so many books, words are so much easier to deal with than trying to decipher the intricacies of social interaction. Having already halted her line of questioning, she waited with hope that the girl would respond, and she did.

"Hi."

Then the girl of few words went back to reading her book. Hermione, unable to decide if the girl was simply being rude or just didn't talk much, decided that since talking didn't work, she'd just have to do what she does best, read. So, she sat down on the other side of the compartment and started rereading her favorite book.

After several minutes of intense reading Hermione heard the other girl sigh, causing her to look up from the book.

"Sorry."

This thoroughly confused Hermione, she couldn't remember the last time anyone apologized to her. The other kids her age certainly wouldn't have, and as adults are always right, they have nothing to apologize for.

"What?"

The redhead sighed again, "Sorry for ignoring you like that. I really should give you a chance before I decide I don't like you."

Hermione was a little put off by the insinuation that she was going to be disliked in the future, but was happy enough at the apology to forgive her.

"No worries, I'm not quite myself today either, it's so exciting. I could barely believe it when I learned I was a witch. The whole thing seems so farfetched, but here I am on my way to learn about magic."

The redhead nodded, "Yes, Magic is rather interesting, though I have been wondering how seven years at a school learning about magic is supposed to prepare us for our futures."

Hermione hesitated in responding as she was caught off-guard by tho odd statement, but she had her response ready quickly, "If we are going to be witches, knowledge of a great range of magic is only sensible."

Once again the redhead nodded, "Of course, but what about skills needed for future careers? I'm sure that a large repertoire of spells will be useful for those frequently in battles, or those few who spend their lives researching and pushing the known boundaries of magic. But I doubt most witches and wizards have the sorts of professions that require such a knowledge. There were plenty of shopkeepers in Diagon Alley who I'm sure needed naught but a few simple spells in their places of business and homes. When managing finances, a thorough grounding in mathematics is necessary, but from my observations most wizards just give all their money to the goblins and hope for the best." She shook her head as if to clear it, "Sorry that's a bit of a tangent, the point I'm making is that there are many important subjects that we won't be taught at Hogwarts, it is really is a shame. I doubt even Dumbledore himself is capable of solvin simple Calculus problems, though it is possible."

Hermione butted in, "But Dumbledore is the greatest wizard of the age! He's a brilliant researcher, having made several monumental achievements in wizarding knowledge! He must be well versed in muggle knowledge as well." She insisted.

The redhead giggled softly, "Perhaps you're right. Though I think you should remember that the Wizarding World is backwards in many ways."

Hermione was about to interject with some no-doubt valuable piece of information or perhaps a baseless assertion, but was interrupted as the door to the cabin was opened roughly by a pale faced boy flanked by two creatures that somewhat resembled young gorillas.

The boy glanced at the two occupants, "Either of you seen Harry Potter? I heard he's on the train." At their confused looks he turned away, "No? Fine." He shut the door and continued to the next compartment.

Hermione spoke up, "Any idea what his problem is?"

The redhead shrugged before giving a suggestion, "My reading suggests that Many rich pureblood wizards pay to send their children out to be raised by others until they can walk. This practice fell out of favor a long time ago in the muggle world, but I have seen research that suggests children that neglected infants develop chemical imbalances in the brain, leading to higher levels of stress and anxiety and a lack of empathy. I assume that being shipped off to some random person who is only taking care of you because they are payed to do it could trigger the same thing."

Hermione stared at the other girl for several seconds, thrown off, not only by the amount of reading that the girl must do in order to have relevant facts ready, but by the way she combined several obviously disparate sources of information. Hermione was suddenly very intimidated, regardless of the accuracy of the redhead's deduction. The idea had been thrown out casually, without the air of superiority that she herself would have used. It wasn't even an assertion, merely a suggestion. Something like that didn't seem like much of a big deal on the surface, but it triggered something within her that she had never felt before. She had never before met anyone her age that measured up to her intellectual capacity. In truth, she had met very few adults who had either, but she chose to ignore that fact as she did all offensive thoughts about adults. This girl however, not only met her intelligence, she exceeded it. Hermione wasn't one to give up though, she decided then and there, that she would become the most knowledgable witch at Hogwarts. She wouldn't let any redhead outdo her!

After making her internal declaration, Hermione quickly recovered, "I suppose that would explain it. Might I ask what your name is?"

The redheaded girl sighed as she seemed to do so often, "My name is Katie Durance, but from my limited contact so far, I am assuming that the faculty of Hogwarts will insist on calling me by my birth name, which will cause a great deal of grief and if I tell you it now, you will most likely believe that I am pulling some sort of prank on you, so I shall simply assure you that is not the case and refrain from telling you."

Hermione considered pushing the issue, but decided that she should probably not alienate the only other girl she had met who she could hold an intelligent conversation with. So instead she brought up some random piece of trivia which led to another and another until before they knew it they had almost arrived at Hogwarts.


	2. SallyAnne Perks and the Foiled Plan

**A/N: As one of the main intentions of this story is humor, I intend to exaggerate or invent many character's personality flaws. If I happen to completely destroy your favorite character, I apologize in advance.  
**

**Sally-Anne Perks and the Foiled Plan**

Finding out she was a witch opened many new possibilities for the young girl named Sally-Anne Perks. She had always been such a meek little girl, so tiny compared to others her age. She found it hard to make friends, and the other children at her school decided that making fun of her was in the best interest of the class. For what worth were her feeling compared to the joy the other students received in hurting her? So through the primitive democracy of the schoolyard, she became an outcast.

Now, with these strange and wonderful powers, she would show the world not to mess with her! After a trip to Diagon Alley and a quick reading of some history, it was obvious that the wizarding world was full of fools. It would be all too easy to bend their will to her own and use their collective power to spread her vision of peace and happiness across the globe.

But something terrible had just dislodged the foundation of her carefully crafted scheme. An awful, terrible, evil, hat! All the stupid hat had to do was shout "Hufflepuff!" But no, it had to be, "Slytherin!" She had barely got the thing on. It was no fair at all! Some of the other children had the hat on for over a minute, they even seemed to talk to it! But for her, it just shouted out the wrong name like it was obvious. How was she supposed to lure the world into a sense of false security if she was a Slytherin? Huffepuff was obviously the more suitable house for the completion of her plans. But now it's all ruined. Now people will be wary that she'll take the place of the last dark lord at the slightest provocation.

As she stewed in her frustration and sat down at the Slytherin table, she was unaware of how the other students ignored her in favor of staring at the next student to be sorted. She was unaware of the confused shouts, the gasps of shock, the yells of objection, and the awkward silence that filled the hall. She was even unaware of the pretty redheaded girl who sat next to her. Unaware until she was poked in the shoulder anyway.

Torn away from her internal monologue, which was at this point mostly grumbling and cursing, she glared at the girl who had just been sorted and hissed, "What?" into her ear, refraining from shouting only because she did not want to draw attention to herself.

The girl looked a little put out and rolled her eyes. She whispered back, "I just thought seeing the upcoming show might cheer you up. You do look a little bit miserable."

"What show?"

"Just watch." She answered smugly.

So, Sally-Anne turned up to the front just as the sorting hat was being removed from a student's head.

"Halt the sorting!" It shouted. "I have reason to believe that charms have been used to circumvent proper sorting. Deputy Headmistress, please remove any charms placed upon the student's heads as I call them for their sorting and make it a practice for all students in the future."

Said Deputy Headmistress, looked at the hat in confusion, "Is this really necessary?"

"Sorting is an invaluable part of the Hogawarts experience. The whole system breaks if someone is sorted into an improper house." Responded the indignant hat.

After exchanging glances with a bemused Dumbledore, she shrugged and nodded at the hat, which began to call back students, "Crabbe, Vincent! Please return!" After a shove from a much smaller blond, the boy lumbered back up to the front and put the hat. The hat needed little deliberation, "Hufflepuff!"

"Goyle, Gregory!" After a nearly identical performance, "Huffepuff!"

"Mafoy, Draco." The hat needed to think long and hard about this one, nearly two seconds later it shouted, "Gryffindor!"

Each of the three boys was in a near catatonic state and barely managed to stumble to their respective tables. The blond boy could be heard muttering something about his father.

Sally-Anne was indeed distracted from her plight by the entertainment. She had already seen the bullies as they rudely went through the train and if there is one thing she enjoyed, it was bullies getting their comeuppance. The implementation wasn't quite up to her standards, but the results spoke for themselves. Three bullies dreams and hopes for the future were seemingly crushed as much as hers were. While not enough to compensate for her terrible sorting, it was certainly impressive. Turning to the redheaded girl she smiled, "Whatever you did, well done."

Sally-Anne decided on the first step of her substitute plan. She must have this girl as chief minion!

Sally-Anne's mind began to plot and to plan and to think about things and before she knew it she found herself in a dark room that she vaguely remembered was down a lot of stairs. She had only been snapped out of her thoughts by another poke in the shoulder from her future minion-in-chief.

"Sally-Anne, you alright?" Asked the girl.

"Uh, yes. Of course!" Realizing a second too late that she said that in a slightly villainous tone of voice. Shrugging internally, she decided that her minion should be able to answer her question, "So, where are we again? And what's your name?"

The girl stared at her for a second, before giggling, "We're in the Slytherin common room, my name is Katie Durance, and you really don't pay attention to anything, do you?"

Choosing to be pleased at the quick response and useful criticism, rather than angered by the insult, Sally-Anne asked her next question, "So what do we do now?"

Katie rolled her eyes, "We're supposed to pick roommates and move into our rooms. Two per room."

"Ah, yes. I knew that. Of course, you'll be my roommate."

Katie blinked in surprise, "Alright. If you're sure."

"I'm sure." Sally-Anne said with absolute confidence.

"Absolutely sure?" Asked Katie with a bit of humor in her voice.

"No doubt." Responded Sally-Anne, a bit of annoyance beginning to lace her words.

"If you say so." Finalized Katie.

"And why would I not?" Sally-Anne could tell there was some piece of the puzzle missing. Some essential information that she was not privy to. Some kernel of truth that had evaded her perfect observational skills. It probably had to do with why all the others were giving Katie such odd looks. Disgust, confusion, and even some curiosity were present, but the truth still eluded her.

One anonymous other of ambiguous intent, intoned the answer, "That's not a girl!" Sally-Anne tried to determine the source of such a strange thing to say, but then took notice of the others in the room who all seemed in agreement with the impossibility. She turned once again to face her right-hand-minion, "Are they all insane?"

Katie could only blink at that, before regaining her composure. "Well, I'd assume so. They all grew up in the Wizarding world."

Sally-Anne nodded, as she was pleased with her mega-minion, "Of course, how could I have forgotten."

"Though their beliefs about me do hold a kernel of truth. For I was indeed not born a girl, though I became one as soon as I realized the error of my ways."

Sally-Anne could have delved deep into questioning her number-one-minion, and indeed would have if it was not someone who had already proved her worth in wit and information. Instead she simply shrugged and said, "Good enough for me." Thus Sally-Anne gained her first friend in as long a time as she could remember. Even though she would never deign to call her major-minion a friend in her own mind, she would make use of the term in public to maintain appearances.

And so, Sally-Anne once again delved into her world of planning and plotting as she was unknowingly guided to her new room by her new roommate and somehow managed to get dressed for bed. Blissfully unaware that the next pothole in her plan for a perfect people was already being set into motion.

The next thing Sally-Anne really noticed as she emerged from her thoughts was a plate of food in front of her and a rather angry bushy-haired girl talking to her main-minion.

"You thought it would be funny did you? Making me think you were a girl!"

Minion sighed, obviously disappointed in the girl. So Sally-Anne decided that her minion's loyalty deserved to be repaid.

"I don't know who you are, but you look reasonable enough to notice that fact that Minion here is in fact a girl."

Minion raised an eyebrow, "Minion?"

Sally-Anne's eyes went wide, "Errr… uh… Katie! That's it! Katie here is in fact a girl. Just because the insane wizards all say she's a boy doesn't make it true. In fact she told me herself that she stopped being a boy the moment she learned any better."

The bushy haired girl's jaw was slightly ajar as she absorbed Sally-Anne's words of wisdom. Obviously she was in awe of her reasoning skills. The girl turned back toward Minion, "Are we the only sane people in the castle?"

"As far as I am aware, yes." Minion answered. Sally-Anne of course knew that she was included in that list of sane people, even if it was a rather ambiguous wording that left question in her own implied sanity. After congratulating herself on dealing with the argument, her thoughts led her away from the real world and back into her mind, looking through the opportunities that the general insanities of wizards would grant her.

She was once again interrupted from her thoughts in what appeared to be a hallway. She and minion must be on their way to class. The interruption had been caused by those annoying bullies who tried to cheat their way into Slytherin. Minion was in some sort of argument with the blond one, the details eluded her, but it was clear that something bad was going to happen.

"Potter, this is all your fault, isn't it. You show up dressed like a girl and the whole world has suddenly gone mad! You're going to learn your lesson right now." The blond boy began to take out his wand, and while Sally-Anne wondered how much damage he could really do on the first day of classes, she didn't want anything bad to happen to Minion. She'd first attempt the easy method.

"I don't know why you're calling her 'Potter', but I think we are on our way to classes so I would kindly appreciate you get out of our way."

The blond boy turned his wand on her, smirking in that oh so superior way, "The mudblood speaks! I didn't realize you had the capacity."

Sally-Anne sighed, knowing that in some way or another violence was going to be used, so she decided to take matters into her own hands. She gestured with her hand as in a swatting motion towards the bullies, and to everyone's surprise but her own, they flew backwards and painfully slammed into a wall.

Turning to Minion, who's eyes were wider than she had imagined possible, Sally-Anne asked, "Can we go on our way now?" And so, onward to their first class they went, leaving a few bullies laying painfully against a wall.


	3. The Eternally Promising Mind

A/N: This chapter consists of three short scenes. My style for this story jumps around a lot, but I think it will give a better sense of the world I'm setting up if you see from a few different perspectives. Also, this will tide you over until I decide on a few issues with timing of events. Let me know if there is a character you'd like me to focus on more, or if there is someone that I'm missing that you'd like to see more of.

**Ronald Weasley and the Eternal Hatred**

Ronald Weasley was no longer quite as excited about Hogwarts as he was that morning. Now, he was both confused and angry. Confused, because it turned out that the boy-who-lived, Harry Potter himself, was actually a girl. Or something like that. No one knew exactly what the deal was, but all agreed that the whole thing was confusing.

Ronald's anger on the other hand, was attributed to the boy who has been his destined arch-enemy since birth. He had been warned by his father that there was a Malfoy child his age and he had prepared himself for his solemn duty of become life long enemies with the blond boy, but he had definitely not prepared himself to become roommates with him. Apparently the boy's father had cast charms on his head to force the him to be sorted into Slytherin, but somehow the plot had been found out and a true sorting given. And somehow, that slimy snake, who had already tried to cheat, before classes even started, was sorted into Gryffindor.

It boggled Ronald's mind. Even more so than the boy-who-lived's lack of boyhood. It was as if everything he knew about the world had suddenly been proven false. If such an evil person as Draco Malfoy could be sorted into Gryffindor, who else in there could be evil? Hogwarts was suddenly a place full of potential dark lords to be, even those within his own house. After spending most of the welcoming feast in shock, thus causing his older brothers the shock of seeing him barely eat a bite, he realized that he was sorted into Gryffindor too. Maybe it was up to people like himself to ensure that people like Draco Malfoy didn't get their way. Maybe it wasn't Slytherin he should hate, but instead people with blond hair. Err… on second thought, he realized, there might be some better things to judge someone on than hair color.

Finding himself face to face with someone who could only be known as evil incarnate, within the confines of their new shared bedroom, Ron Weasley was understandably a bit unsure of himself. That is, until he was interrupted from his uncharacteristic bout of introspection.

"Move out of the way Weasley, I'm taking that bed." Malfoy's smirk of unparalleled arrogance could only elicit one response from the youngest Weasley boy.

Staring deep into the eyes of the blond boy, Ronald refuses to back down. His eyes narrow, his fists clench. He gets ready to do something drastic, he will do whatever it takes to make sure Gryffindor remains uncorrupted by the taint of evil that Malfoy would surely spread given a chance. Just as he's about to say something, Malfoy flinches and turns away, grumbling to himself as he drags his things over to a different bed.

Ronald is completely surprised. Not only because of his apparent victory, but because of what he saw in Malfoy's features when he flinched. Normally Ronald would not even notice such a thing, but his intense stare had caught it. Malfoy's face had briefly shown something familiar. It was exactly what Ronald himself often felt. It was fear of failure. It was fear of bringing shame to his family. It was the knowledge that no matter what he did, he could never hope to live up to what had come before him. Briefly he wondered if Malfoy could be less than the evil he believed, but he quickly shook his head. After all, 'Bad blood will out.'

* * *

**Severus Snape and the Crumbling Mind**

Severus Snape was never the happiest man in the world. In fact, there always seemed to be something for him to complain about. While normally this would simply be something like the incompetency of his students, he had been building up a fury over a new hatred. Or an old one rather. The son of one of the most foul men he had ever had the displeasure to meet had been set to arrive at Hogwarts this year. Severus was not going to let his run amok over the school like his father. He'd do his best to see the brat expelled, just as his father should have been. How that fool ever made head boy is a complete mystery.

As the new students had entered the great hall, preparing to be sorted, Severus briefly glanced at them, looking for that messy black hair he knew the terrible boy would possess. Instead, he found his eyes drawn to a girl. A girl who he knew when he was a child. A girl who he knew for a fact was dead. There was no other way around it, that girl was Lily Evans.

It was all he could do to keep himself from gaping. He at first wondered if it had finally happened. Perhaps his mind had finally snapped. It wouldn't be unexpected. But he noticed his colleagues seemed to be having a similar reaction. Minerva's eyes had gone wide, and Filius's grin had expanded to epic proportions. The Headmaster himself, though hiding his emotions well, was tapping his finger softly on the table, something Severus knew, from years of observation, he only did when he was surprised.

As the names were called for the sorting, he couldn't help but wonder who this girl could be. Could she be some relative of Lily's. Could she be the result of some arcane form of reincarnation? His anticipation had made him completely forget about his intended harassment of the Potter child. So when the name, "Potter, Harry" was called, his mind quickly snapped from the fond remembrances of Lily, as he looked for the no-doubt pompous young boy. Instead of seeing a boy move towards the sorting hat's stool however, it was the little Lily look-a-like instead who walked towards the front.

Several students shouted out, "She said Harry Potter!" Obviously the girl had simply misheard them. She stopped and turned to face the students, "As far as I am aware, that's the name my parents gave me. It is most certainly the name that appeared on my acceptance letter. Though it is not my preferred name, it would be rude not to respond to it." The girl turned back towards the hat and quickly proceeded to slam it over her eyes, leaving the students in faculty to deal with their shock without any more input from her.

Severus' first thought was that a prank in such terrible taste was just like a potter. Obviously attempting to make himself miserable by bringing up his dead friend. This thought was quickly replaced by another. If this boy wasn't the only living member of his family, he would have been cast out of it for such a display. For a son of one of the great families, pretending to be a woman was one of the worst crimes against family pride. Even poor families like Weasley's would be horrified at such from their sons. A hundred years ago banishment would have been accompanied by castration, and a hundred years before that it would have been accompanied by death. Wizards are an eccentric bunch, so it was something that had cropped up from time to time, and every single time it nearly ruined the reputation of the family involved. Potter would never have committed such a sin against his family. This boy is a whole new creature.

To top it all off, the hat did the impossible. It said the one thing that would not work at all. It didn't do what it should have, for shouting Gryffindor after such a prank as would gain banishment from the family for any other boy was far too obvious. It didn't shout Hufflepuff for such an obviously pathetically girlish boy. No. It just had to shout, "Slytherin!" because the only house a Potter would do worse in was Ravenclaw.

Severus' hands clenched tight and he began to grind his teeth as he lost himself in a fog of anger. He became worried that he might make a spectacle of himself, so he excused himself early from the table and took the quickest path possible down to the dungeons. He stepped into his office and unlocked a drawer in a dusty corner cabinet that had obviously seen a long time since opening. Inside he took a picture out. It was a picture of Lily on her first day at Hogwarts. Now that he was thinking straight he could pick out subtle differences between her and the Potter brat's look. That ruled out polyjuice potion being used in the prank, which didn't leave a whole lot of options. The nose was just wrong and any magic for impersonating Lily wouldn't have flaws like that. Severus began to wonder. Could that actually be what the potter boy looks like? A new thought came to his mind. One he had been desperately trying to ignore. He's not just Potter's boy, he's also Lily's boy.

Pulling himself out of his reverie, he realized that he would need to give the traditional welcoming speech to the Slytherin first years. He would deal with the boy later. Preferably when seeing him didn't cause mental instability.

* * *

**Minerva McGonagall and the Promising Student**

Minerva McGonagall was a woman who had little left to live for. She had never married, and had no remaining family alive. Her only passion in life had been teaching, and at times that seemed to only lead to more depression. Every time she found a favored student, every single time, they were dead within ten years of graduating. It would have been five except for an exceptionally lucky gentleman by the name of Johannes Swain, who had singlehandedly killed a nundu. A master of transfiguration can be a truly fearsome beast. Fate sure hadn't seen that one coming. The man's greatest discovery had also been made that same day. Apparently if a nundu is killed by a single man or creature, its killer is imbued with a magic trace that can be found by any nundu, even those half a world away. That began his time on the run. He could never stay in one place too long or the nundu would find him. It took several years, but eventually ten nundu swam all the way to his cabin hidden in the rainforest of Hawaii and found him while he was asleep.

Sighing as she reminisced, she took a minute to notice that one student had stayed behind after her first transfiguration lecture, "Hello Ms. Granger. Is there something I could help you with?" Ms. Granger's enthusiasm and mind worried Minerva that she might just become her new favorite student, and she wouldn't wish that fate on anyone. Just look at what happened to James Potter.

"Yes, professor McGonagall, I was wondering if you knew of any books on upper-crust wizarding society. Traditions and etiquette. That sort of thing. Maybe from a muggleborn perspective."

Minerva frowned, hating to deal such a blow to an eager student. "I'm sorry Ms. Granger, but that knowledge is considered dark magic by the Ministry of Magic, hence I am not allowed to tell it to students."

Ms. Granger blinked, her face scrunching up in confusion, "But I'm not asking you to tell me any magic at all, how could it be considered dark magic?"

Minerva rubbed her forhead, "In the dark magic supression act of 1799, books referring to magic considered dark along with various other information were forbidden from being published or disclosed except within families that were required to by tradition."

Ms. Granger's jaw dropped, "You mean…" several seconds passed before she made her conclusion, "It was banned so that anyone outside of the wizarding elite would seem boorish and ill mannered, thus preventing new or poor magic users from properly understanding and presenting themselves to those in power?"

Minerva looked honestly surprised at that, "I suppose that is a possibility. I've never really considered it before."

Ms. Granger looked dubiously at her, "So there is no way for me to learn the intricacies of a people who would deem me as having mud running through my veins?"

Minerva sighed, already called a mudblood by her first class. Eventually, a gentle smile came to her face. She probably shouldn't do this. But it wasn't quite against the rules. "The last time I believe I saw a book on the subject, it was hidden in a small weakly locked compartment in the Library behind a book entitled _Quaint Quaffles: A Boring Look at the Many Inferior Clones of Quidditch."_

Ms. Granger smiled, thanking her as she left. Heading to the Library before her next class no doubt. Hopefully that book would be enough to keep her awake during her first history lecture.


	4. The End of Katie Durance?

A/N: Sorry I haven't update in... well nearly a year. Hopefully my next update won't take so long.

**Hermione Granger and the Marriage Wall**

As Hermione Granger read the book she had been discreetly directed to by Professor McGonagall, she found her already eroded sense of the Magical World collapsing all together. The book consisted of several sections relating to different parts of the pureblood society. From the functioning of the Wizengamont, to the expected behavior at formal events, it discussed every detail. At first, Hermione had been relieved, though apparently forbidden knowledge, it did not seem to contain information that immediately condemned wizarding society in general as an inherently unjust place. However, the more she read, the more she understood. The small details, and the large, all added together to paint a picture of her future life. One final detail finished off a portrait that was completely incompatible with her own vision of her future. After that, she reread other seemingly innocent sections in a whole new light, enraging her further.

Hermione as always respected those in authority. Her parents had never let her down. Her teachers had been the only thing that kept her from the worst of her social outcast status. She respected police officers. She believed in her government. She knew deep in her heart that those above her were always looking out to protect her from those down on her own level.

Now, as she learned what she had to look forward to, some drastic categorical shifts swept through her mind. The wizarding world itself had conspired against her. To reconcile this fact with believing those in authority over her were protecting her, she only had one real option. All magical people were not truly in authority over her. Not any more. From this point on, all wizards and witches are nothing but other children to her.

She was broken from her thoughts as she heard a soft, "Everything alright?" Coming from behind her. Quickly glancing at a clock, she noticed that she had missed dinner, too occupied reading in the library to really care. She turned to see Katie… Harry Potter… whatever… looking at her with a concerned expression. She was still really confused about the… girl. She was only other person in this place that seemed to have even a tiny bit of sanity, and yet she was probably the strangest of all.

Hermione sighed, "Look at this, she pointed at a line in the book."

Katie quickly read it, "Well that doesn't sound too bad."

Hermione flipped a few pages, "Now read this."

"Oh… I see. That could be difficult."

"Yes, but now read this." She flipped to an entirely unrelated section of the book.

Katie's face scrunched up, "That doesn't seem right."

"I could come up with theories of conspiracy, but exactly who is involved and their motive completely escapes me."

"Really? I should think their motive is obvious."

Hermione looked doubtful, but motioned for her to continue.

"Their motive is to avoid the existence of someone like you."

Hermione frowned, "No, the whole point is to ensnare people like me."

Katie softly giggled, intensifying Hermione's frown, "No, I suppose not someone _like_ you. Exactly you. They want you either forced out of their society before you learn about it's hard truths, or they want you to be absorbed by it in a way that won't allow you to see the truth."

"While that may be fairly accurate, you sound like you've already been discussing this with people." Hermione's voice maintained some hostility.

Katie rolled her eyes, "Yes, I was having similar discussions this summer with my mother and sister after learning about the wizarding world. Mostly my mother. I believe that she's doing some research in her spare time on the matter. If you'd like I could get you in contact with her."

"Isn't your mother dead?" Hermione asked before she realized what she had said.

Katie stared at Hermione, her eyes going wide, she then slapped herself in the forehead, "Wow… did you really just say that?."

Hermione quickly covered her mouth in embarrassment, "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that."

Katie nodded, still rubbing her forehead, "Yeah, I get it. You're angry, stressed, confused, and your life feels like its falling apart. But still, you really need to work on that. How are you supposed to change things if everyone thinks you're an insensitive bitch?"

Hermione's embarrassment was soon replaced by indignation, "Don't you call me a… wait, change things?"

"Well sure, what else would you do? While I'm sure you'd do fine leaving for the muggle world, from what I've seen of you, I don't think you could bring yourself to do that." Katie grew a mischievous smile, "Well, I suppose you could always find some nice pureblood boy to marry. Then you wouldn't have to worry about this at all."

Hermione snorted, "As if that could happen. I haven't met one boy here who seems at all decent. Besides, I think even if I did I might just object to marrying him on principle. The whole thing is ridiculous. Why should my citizenship in wizarding britain be tied to my marital status?"

"Exactly, now you just need to figure out how to change it."

At Hermione's frown, Katie quickly added, "You don't need to do anything right now, just keep your eyes open, and your mind available."

Hermione sighed, "I suppose." She slumped down in her seat, "I think that's enough of this for now, I'm not used to being this upset."

"Yeah, being angry takes a lot out of you."

"Yeah… Say, what is with that girl you were eating with this morning?"

It was Katie's turn to sigh, "Her name is Sally-Anne. Don't go spreading this around, but she has some sort of mental problem. I doubt its something wizards would notice, much less have treatment for. They seem to be conspicuously ignorant of troubles of the mind."

"Yeah, all of them are bloody insane to begin with."

Raising an eyebrow at Hermione's language, Katie continued, "Yeah, she seems to be only half-aware of what's going on most of the time. Every once in a while she'll snap out of it, but most of the time she's living in a daze. She asked me to be her roommate and I agreed before I realized what I was getting myself into. She hasn't told me what's wrong, but I suspect she doesn't even really notice it. If I were to guess, it's probably the result of some emotional trauma she's having trouble dealing with."

Hermione's expression became grave, "I see… I suppose if she needs any help, just ask me."

"Thanks. I just can't help but worry that something terrible is going to happen to her eventually. She's so vulnerable. I'm still having trouble figuring out why she was sorted into Slytherin."

Hermione seemed to know immediately, "She called you 'Minion'."

"Huh?"

"Remember, like she thought she was some evil overlord talking to her underling."

"Yeah, she was probably daydreaming about something." Katie didn't quite see where this was going.

"Yes, and if she actually believes that sort of thing, the sorting hat might not know that it's just a delusion."

"That would make sense. It sounds like it will just lead to more trouble though. Especially with her magic as it is."

"What about her magic?"

"She wandlessly banished that Malfoy boy and his sidekicks with a wave of her hand."

"You're kidding!"

"No, it surprised me as much as it did them."

Hermione sighed, "Being friends with you is just going to bring all sorts of trouble isn't it?"

Katie's smile was the only answer she received.

"I guess it's not your fault though. I am rather curious about your family though. From what I've read most rumors say you were placed with your mother's family, right?"

Katie's smile completely disappeared, "How about we don't talk about them right now?"

Hermione cringed, quickly changing the topic, "Ah, okay. Sorry. Uh… well… am I the only one who's noticed that the books here make no use of more than rudimentary experimentation when defining theory? From what I can tell, the closest thing to the scientific method wizards have is if something explodes too many times, it's declared impossible."

Katie smiled, as they began an intense conversation lambasting the fundamental pillars of wizarding society.

* * *

**Quirinus Quirell and The Hard Decision**

Quirinus was once a bright and optimistic man. He had been married to the most wonderful woman in the world, and they had been expecting a child. It had been several years since the accident. Several years since he had returned to Britain and begun teaching Muggle Studies at Hogwarts. He hadn't gone a day without thinking about his wife in the entire time since her death, until last June. Quirinus had decided to set out on a journey around the world in preparation for his new position as professor of defense. The strange this was, that until today, he had not once thought of his wife since the day he left on that journey. Now, thinking back, he knew his current self was a completely different person than back then, and though he would never want to go back to being the pathetic fool he had been, he didn't appreciate people messing with his mind. Without reason to question his circumstances, he would have ignored it, but after realizing how incompetent the Dark Lord was, he knew something was wrong.

When Quirinus layed eyes on the boy-who-lived, he nearly burst out in laughter. _That_ was the oh-so-powerful wizard who had defeated his master? That worthless girly boy? But he still felt loyalty to his master, even knowing that he must truly be weak to lose to such a laughable child. So, realizing his internal conflict, Quirinus began to examine his memories. He narrowed down his change in personality to the start of his trip, and though the change was slow, it was also too obvious to miss. Going from adoring that foul dead muggle woman above all others, to realizing her true place in naught but a day was clearly a sign of mental manipulation.

After careful deliberation, the only two choices he had became obvious. He could follow his master's plan, or he could reveal the truth to Dumbledore.

LINE

**Albus Dumbledore and the Growing Madness**

That evening, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore was frustrated. It was the first time in a decade that he was truly at a loss of how to handle a situation. He could hardly blame anyone but himself for the failure though. He should have checked up on the boy before he arrived at Hogwarts. Harry Potter was nothing like he should have been. He should have been nearly identical to his father. He should have been a Gryffindor. Most of all though, he shouldn't look like a girl! What kind of heroic figure could he make for the wizarding world looking like that? No matter how tragic a history he has, his unexpected looks could shatter the image of the Boy-Who-Lived that Dumbledore strived to imprint upon the populous. The situation must be salvageable somehow, but it would require a delicate touch.

As he was attempting to contrive a possible solution, Albus noticed that one of his professors was entering his office. Just as the door opened, Albus engaged a grandfatherly smile and asked, "How can I help you, Quirinus?"

The man approached the desk and sighed, "You can help me with this!" He ripped off his turban and turned around to show the withered face of Voldemort on the back of his head.

Albus could only stare at the apparently sleeping face on the back of the man's head.

"Anything you can do about it?"

Albus swallowed. This wasn't how it was supposed to play out at all. Harry was supposed to confront Voldemort as he attempted to steal the stone. How the hell did Quirinus manage to overcome the compulsions and turn against Voldemort?

"Of course, turn back around for a second."

The moment their eyes met Albus dived deeply into the man's mind. He was quickly able to find his answer and left while rendering the man unconscious.

Albus was furious, all those years of planning wasted because one young boy looks feminine. Forget a gentle touch! The problem is getting out of hand and must be dealt with immediately! There is only one thing that Albus could do to solve all of his problems, one place to get the necessary power to alter so many perceptions in perfect harmony. Albus opened a door in his office that no one living besides himself had ever seen before. He walked through a passageway and up stairs to the top of a tower that was likewise hidden from the knowledge of all but the headmaster of the school. He arrived at the top of the true tallest point of the castle and looked up into the sky.

Wind began to swirl around him, the magic imbued within causing the very air to glow. The ancient headmaster thrust an arm up into the sky.

"Hear me, Hogwarts! Grant me a request to commune with magic itself. I have a problem of the utmost urgency."

Albus felt the magic flowing from him, spreading out across the land, and eventually he heard a voice.

***Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts. Why do you seek my guidance?***

This is the first time Albus has ever attempted this dangerous technique. Almost everyone who attempts to commune with magic ends up dead, but Hogwarts gives the Headmaster quite a benefit in terms of controlling the massive amounts of magic required. The only successful cases recorded were Merlin, the founders, and two or three previous headmasters. Though most in this day and age would not believe that magic itself was sentient, Albus knew with every fiber of his being that it was true. He always felt a guiding force pushing his every action, and now he finally had the chance to speak with it directly.

"Things have gone terribly wrong on the path for the greater good!" Albus shouted into the sky as the winds intensified. "The chosen one that I must guide on his path to become the savior of our world has been corrupted. His corruption must be cleansed from within himself and from the minds of all here at the castle. Harry Potter must be known as a strong boy with a bright future, not a feminine wimp."

Albus could feel his very soul being searched as the voice seemed to be pondering its answer.

* * *

***Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts. I shall grant you the power to do what is necessary.***

The world went white as Albus felt more alive than he had ever felt before, he could sense his surroundings, down to the tiniest detail, for miles around. He felt that he could destroy the moon, and still have power to spare. But Albus knew that he couldn't squander this power. He would only use it to do what must be done. He would not betray the trust that he was shown.

His first spell was a type of specialized memory charm, "Oblivious Cumpulsis." With his currently enormous power, he was easily able to direct the spell down into the Slytherin Dungeons and force his will upon Harry's memories. He bound any thoughts that related to his feminine appearance, and then proceeded to impose a more probable introduction to Hogwarts. He then used his massive magical power to move Harry from the Dungeons up into his new Gryffindor room. His final touch upon Harry was to alter his appearance into a more acceptable look. He then spread a more generalized memory charm over the other students as well as the members of the staff. With his current power, even occlumency barriers as good as Severus' were worthless. Even Quirell and the wraith of Voldemort were affected, Albus easily moved them back to Quirell's quarters. Everyone would now remember a Harry Potter more suiting of his position as the Boy-Who-Lived. Albus considered what to do about the word that had surely spread by owl about a girly looking Harry Potter arriving at Hogwarts, but after a moment a very elegant solution came to mind.

One of his favorite charms, the fidelius. He quickly wove the magic surrounding him, and spoke the information he needed bound, "Harry Potter arrived to Hogwarts looking like a girl." He grinned as he attached the now secret piece of information to the very source of his current power. Truly, magic itself would be the perfect secret keeper. Having accomplished his goals, Albus felt the magic leave him. He smiled to himself as he descended the stairs. Now his plans were all back on track, and now he could get a good night's sleep


End file.
